Alexander entering Babylon (1)

Text
Quintus Curtius, History of Alexander 5.1.19-23:
A great part of the Babylonians had taken their places on the walls in their eagerness to become acquainted with their new king, still more had gone out to meet him. Among the latter Bagophanes, guardian of the citadel and of the royal funds … had strewn the whole road with flowers and garlands, and had placed here and there on both sides silver altars, which he had piled high, not only with frankincence, but with perfumes of all kinds. As gifts there followed him herds of horses and cattle; lions and leopards too were carried before them in cages. Then came the magi, chanting a hymn after their manner, after them the Chaldeans, and of the Babylonians not only their prophets, but also musicians with their own kind of instruments; the latter were accustomed to sing the praises of the kings, the Chaldeans, to explain the movements of the heavenly bodies and the appointed changes of the seasons. Lastly followed the Babylonian cavalry, whose apparel and that of their horses met the demands of luxury rather than of magnificence. Alexander, surrounded by armed men, had ordered the throng of townspeople to march after the hindermost of the infantry; he himself entered the city in a chariot, and then entered the palace.

Source (list of abbreviations) (source links will open in a new browser window)
Quintus Curtius, History of Alexander 5.1.19-23

Bibliography

Amar Annus

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